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Belgium rubbed salt in the wounds of the United States after knocking out the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosts, celebrating their stunning 4-1 round of 16 victory with a pair of cheeky social media posts that quickly went viral.Belgium’s Red Devils appear to have taken direct aim at the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun’s overturned suspension, posting a scathing message on Instagram shortly after the final whistle.
The post ‘Knock this down’ goes viral
After a convincing win in Seattle, Belgium shared an Instagram Story that simply read: “Knock this off.”The remark was widely interpreted as a sarcastic criticism of FIFA’s decision to suspend Balogun’s automatic one-match ban just a day before the knockout tie. Balogun received a red card during the United States’ Round of 16 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, leading to an automatic suspension. However, FIFA later invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code to suspend the ban for a one-year trial period, allowing the forward to play against Belgium.READ ALSO: After all the drama… Balogun’s controversial FIFA suspension ended in low-impact World Cup heartbreakThe decision drew widespread criticism across the football world, with the Belgian Football Association unsuccessfully challenging Balogun’s eligibility before kick-off.Belgium did not stop there.The Red Devils also reignited the long-standing “soccer” vs. “soccer” debate by posting on X: “It’s called FOOTBALL.”The playful strike sparked immediate reactions from fans, especially after Belgium’s convincing win ended the hosts’ World Cup campaign.
Belgium dominates despite Balogun controversy
On the pitch, Belgium ensured the pre-match controversy became little more than a footnote with a clinical performance.Charles De Ketelaere claimed man of the match, scoring twice and assisting as Belgium booked their place in the quarter-finals. Hans Vanaken scored the first goal FIFA World Cup goal, while substitute Romelu Lukaku scored in stoppage time for his third consecutive World Cup goal.The United States threatened briefly when Malik Tillman equalized on a free kick in the first half, but Belgium responded almost immediately before taking full control after the break.A costly mistake by goalkeeper Matt Freese gave Belgium a third goal, and Lukaku took advantage of a late defensive mistake to seal a convincing win.READ ALSO: Romelu Lukaku makes unique World Cup history with super-sub effort as Belgium ends USA’s dreamBalogun, whose availability dominated the headlines before kick-off, failed to live up to the attention surrounding FIFA’s decision. The striker, who entered the game with three goals in the tournament, helped set up the free-kick from which Tillman equalized but struggled to make an impact after that before being substituted late in the contest.The defeat ended the United States’ hopes of reaching the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002 and made them the last of three co-hosts to exit the tournament after Canada and Mexico.
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